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Rose History
Public Info: There are many stories drifting about the courts of Quivera about the two daughters of Duke Boris Orchester. Some say the pair are the Duke's long lost twin daughters, others state they were one girl split into two personalities through magik, and some believe they are a pair of commoners adopted for some nefarious plan. No one is more vocal about the last theory than Rosalinda, who often insists she be called by her 'real' name of Rosalba Tanner or simply as 'Rose'. Born some time around 480, she claims she was the child of a pair of simple peasant leatherworkers in a remote village known as Izle. Through misadventures she ended up in the Duke's court and taken in as his daughter-heir. No one is sure of the truth surrounding her and her situation. Some say she ran away from the court. Others say she was kidnapped. What is known is that the Lady Rosalinda has traveled the length and width of Xaria having many adventures and mishaps, travelling with elves, dwarves, and other odd adventuring types. To hear her tell it, she's been before the King of the Monsters and Queen of the Elves, drank with fairies, been to the Thieve's Isle, been to the Abyss, hung out with the Griffon of Magik and a few of his quest party, wielded the sword of Owen of Veldron against a young red dragon, and told stories to the Prince of lost Tarnaal. It comes as no surprise that Lady Rosalinda is a storyteller and performer of some repute. It is likely that her wild outlandish tales are in rebellion to her political duties or a way of repressing the memories of her kidnapping. It is also said she is utterly cold-blooded and ruthless; able to kill a man without qualm. Though the former and the latter are often at odds with one another, both serve her well in her role as Orchester's heir despite her very well known objections to her rank. She is responsible for an influx of Lindoran refugees into Quivera and also said to keep the elven border regularly patrolled with offers to lend aide to their Council. Rosalinda served in Lindora for the duration of the war as a resistance fighter against House Urth and their undead forces. Shortly before the non-aggression pact between Rynith and Urth, the Lindoran resistance began striking back in earnest. But since she was a civillian, Rose was not ordered to join the Rynith forces. She and the last few non-military personnel serving the fight retreated out of Kyratthis; Lady Rosalinda was in Kura'Stan briefing several of the Duke's advisers on the current situation to the east. Sir Garrett Luchese of the Purple Duchy has made it known in 510 that Lady Rosalinda has turned traitor against humankind has defected to the elven people. She was last seen leaving the Orchester estates for the elven borders with a large party of elves and sympathetic humans. Background: Rosalba and Lillidara Tanner were born in the quiet village of Izle in Telumar somewhere north of Urogoth. Lilly learned magic from a retired adventurer in town while Rose was content to work in the Griffon's Claw tavern as a barmaid and bard (with the eventual promise of marriage to the barkeep). When in their mid teens, Lilly wished for a more exciting life than the one they had and she got it. They were kidnapped in an orc raid and taken as tribute for their leader. Being identical twins (at the time) they got passed around repeatedly from tribe to tribe as gifts until they were housed in southern Urogoth alongside another prisoner. The prisoner was the crown prince of Quivera, Howarth Cornellius. He and Lilly hit it off immediately much to Rose's dislike. She and the Prince did not get along from the first moment they met. Eventually the girls were rescued by the party sent to retrieve the prince and accompanied them on the secondary mission to save the royal prisoner. Rose was the one that helped him escape and the two nearly were recaptured when they began to argue and brawl with one another. Upon their return to Quivera, Rose and Lilly became favorites of the King. This led to the Yellow Duke, Boris Orchester, adopting them as his heirs in a ploy to preserve his already diminished lands. Rose disliked the sudden elevation to near royalty and the restrictions imposed upon her. All she wanted was to go back to Izle. Rose then ran away from Quivera and began travelling through Xaria looking for clues to her village's existance. She returned once to Quivera to steal Lilly away from the University of Reslowe and the pair became wandering adventurers. Since then, Rose has been through many adventures and mishaps; meeting members of Tarrik's quest party, the Monster King Ankh, the now departed elven Queen Theloria, slaying a young dragon alongside Xaria's assembled heroes, and traveling to the pocket Future Xaria as well as the Abyss to visit Tarnall. She even had to slay her own sister to defeat a daemon god's ascension. After "killing" Lillee (as she goes by) Rose swore to take her duties as Orchester's daughter seriously. This was also influenced by an oracle telling her she will never find peace as long as she searches for Izle. She found she has a good mind for politics and enjoyed the part where people have to do what she says, especially when it was nobles she was telling what to do. Rose feels the duty of the nobility is to make certain those under them are comfortable, happy, and well off... Or at least not miserable and suffering. She also has sent rangers to the borders of the Elven Homeland to keep tabs on things and to offer her friendship when they emerge. She has, however, somehow gotten caught up in the ongoing conflict between Dakkor and the bordering nations. The first time in years she leaves Quivera and she gets caught in a war. Rose believes this is all part of how her life works, since she's surmised she's a pawn of Fate or other dieties. They think she's funny. She does know the cosmic powers have told her she's not going back to Izle and to stop looking. She's taking it seriously after it was told to her twice. Rose wonders if the Goddess of Fate has chosen her or if she's just a figment of the imagination of Izel-Hel, god of madness. Her life is chaotic enough to explain either answer. She has no choice but to play along and go for the ride. In recent months since the fall of Lindora, Rose has turned into a profficient commander and has taken up arms with Lindora and Halgudar against their various oppressors. She thinks it's more fun than court politics and Rose has come to realize she's only really happy when she's mucking things up for other people; in this case that would be Dakkor, Uragoth, and Rynith. She keeps out of the way of the Prince of Quivera and becomes a bit of a folk hero back home. She even goes by 'The Yellow Rose' since it sounds so much more dramatic and looks better on parchment. Rose is also one of those crazy enough to be a patron of the Wyndham Players, having commissioned a new play about Lillee entitled "The Tiger-Lilly of Quivera" as both a gift and as a way to get herself banned from court all together. Rose sincerely believes she is under a curse; if she tries to leave somewhere or escape a nasty situation, things will only get worse. Her latest example: while planning to go to Doro Y'Edhel to relay news of Urth's undead creation, she was snowed in for 3 months with the Wyndham Players. She believes she may have bested the curse by staying in Lindora for over three years and helping them to fight until the very last moment; until they were ordered by Rynith to strike their colors and don the red and black. Being a civilian, Rose was spared the humiliation. She pledged herself, her blades, and her resources to restoring Lindora and the Regents back to their rightful place. Her motivations behind this are mixed; it's part revenge, part politics, and part 'doing the right thing.' Baron Heinrich von Schlactenflussen, one of Duke Orchesters' vassals and a friend of Lillee's, sent Rose (via her old friend Hadrien) an artifact he found at auction - a stone which would destroy the strong magiks surrounding Urth's undead when activated. Upon further revelation it seems the stone was an artifact linked to the Elven Monarchy, which made sense considering the elven blood used to craft Urth's curious undead. With the Lindoran fight halted, Rose returned to Quivera to keep custodianship of the artifact until her elven allies (all of whom she had known from years prior) could relay news of the Council's decision. Although the Council wished the artifact returned, Rose and those she trusted thought it a better idea to use the artifact to help find the missing Elven Heir. With the threat of Ank's incurring armies on their heels, Rose and some of her oldest dearest friends fled to Palrim to discuss with the Sacred Sages what options they had. Everything that had happened to her was making sense; finding the elven heir was her destiny. Her political ties, her connections to various persons in different lands, what Queen Theloria saw in her... the stone was long intended to come into her hands and guide them to the missing princess. In exchange for helping find the heir, her connections in Doro Y'edhell would pledge their troops to the cause of freeing Lindora from Urth. But first, the Heir had to be found. At long last, Rose found the path she was supposed to be taking. Her decision came with a price; she's been publicly smeared as a traitor to Quivera and humanity. Since she's been angling to be banished from her position as heir to the Yellow Dutchy, this could be entirely in her favor. Rose has joined the Freedom Fighters that remain in Lindora, but has been fighting with Dakkor against the advances of Urth. Back to Characters